For those of you who might find it useful, here is a list of those miscellaneous and "little" things that you might not think of. This is compiled from a number of posts over time that have mentioned what people have found useful to have on their cruise.

Certainly not all of it will apply to your individual situation, but some of the list just might!!

A highlighter for the newspaper or Patters
Bottle opener
Jigger
Small cocktail shaker
Single $$ for tips and misc. spending
Sewing kit
Bottle opener (“Church-key”)
Guidebooks for your cruise desitnations
Small roll of duct tape
Post-It notes to leave messages for the porter or those traveling with you
Cork screw
Addresses of all those that you want to write postcards and letters to while on your cruise.
A small pair of scissors
A bungie cord to hold open the sliding door to the balcony and/or hold the drapes open
Small pair of binoculars
Eyeglasses repair kit
Thank you cards to leave for waiters and stewards. (They really appreciate them!)

Great list! Thanks. We use to bring extra hangers. Now we just ask our cabin steward and he brings us as many as we need. Instead of clorox spray, just bring the travel wipes, clothes pins for the clothes line in the shower or drying thngs on the balcony, instead of a large power strip we bring an extension cord to save space. The pop up laundry basket (grandson's toy basket) works great on a long cruise. We were glad we had an eye glass repair kit twice. We always bring a solid room deorderizer, the resealable type and antibacterial SoftSoap for the bathroom. It can be closed for traveling too. Add laxative and diaherra meds too. We bring a couple gallon and quart size ziplock baggies. We take a wet washcloth on excursions to wash our face and put some munchies in the smaller ones.

We would recommend one do their homework and find a store near the port or hotel you will be at pre cruise to buy some of this stuff. If you can get it in the travel size just leave them after the cruise.

You don't need to haul much of this stuff on your flight and have extra suitcases/weight/TSA issues.

Phil & Liz

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i understand this is designed as a "master list" but it is a bit of over-kill, especially for first-time cruisers. a couple of things pop out at me right away. Unless you are planning on a jungle excursion you wont need bug spray, never have brought Calimine lotion, hydro-cortisone cream works just as well and is good for other things too. if the ship has a self-service laundry room there is no need to bring laundry detergent unless you are super allergic. toilet paper? why would you need that? Most cruise lines supply shampoo and conditioner that is of a good quality, you really don't need that unless you have hair issues that require salon quality products, most cruise lines also supply hair dryers in your stateroom, they work pretty good, unless you have super-long or super thick hair, they aren't as powerful and your own.unless you are a clean-freak i don't see the need for disinfectant wipes, your cabin is clean, a few innocent germs are good for you. DO NOT bring your passport with you on shore excursions, lock it in the safe in your room, bring a photcopy of the page with your picture and information, never felt the need for any type of air freshner products, open the door to the balcony or the window(if they open) and let in the fresh sea air

For those of you who might find it useful, here is a list of those miscellaneous and "little" things that you might not think of. This is compiled from a number of posts over time that have mentioned what people have found useful to have on their cruise.

Certainly not all of it will apply to your individual situation, but some of the list just might!!

A highlighter for the newspaper or Patters
Bottle opener
Jigger
Small cocktail shaker
Single $$ for tips and misc. spending
Sewing kit
Bottle opener (“Church-key”)
Guidebooks for your cruise destinations
Small roll of duct tape
Post-It notes to leave messages for the porter or those traveling with you
Cork screw
Addresses of all those that you want to write postcards and letters to while on your cruise.
A small pair of scissors
A bungee cord to hold open the sliding door to the balcony and/or hold the drapes open
Small pair of binoculars
Eyeglasses repair kit
Thank you cards to leave for waiters and stewards. (They really appreciate them!)

Thanks for putting this together. There are many things that people may or may not use but it's nice to see them all in one place and it can give people an idea of things they can pack. I doubt anyone would pack it all. I personally won't use most but there are a few that I do use and a couple that aren't listed. Heck, I've brought a 300X telescope with me. I (actually my wife) likes to take a couple of bags of laundry detergent. It eliminates the need to find quarters and weird people, like me, like to keep my clothes smelling the same.

There are places, especially in Russia and Asia, where you do want your passport with you on shore. You may not need to bring toilet paper from home but if you are going ashore in Asia you definitely want to bring some from home or the ship or you are in big trouble. Many public toilets do not supply toilet paper.

Take care,
Mike

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"There is a great difference between being well traveled and just having been to many places." ~Me

I have a mini-roll of toilet paper that I carry in my port bag. Never been to Asia, but even in Mexico, there may not be any or you have to buy a few sheets from an attendant. I don't mind doing that, but hate when there is none available.
Marty

i understand this is designed as a "master list" but it is a bit of over-kill, especially for first-time cruisers. a couple of things pop out at me right away. Unless you are planning on a jungle excursion you wont need bug spray, never have brought Calimine lotion, hydro-cortisone cream works just as well and is good for other things too. if the ship has a self-service laundry room there is no need to bring laundry detergent unless you are super allergic. toilet paper? why would you need that? Most cruise lines supply shampoo and conditioner that is of a good quality, you really don't need that unless you have hair issues that require salon quality products, most cruise lines also supply hair dryers in your stateroom, they work pretty good, unless you have super-long or super thick hair, they aren't as powerful and your own.unless you are a clean-freak i don't see the need for disinfectant wipes, your cabin is clean, a few innocent germs are good for you. DO NOT bring your passport with you on shore excursions, lock it in the safe in your room, bring a photcopy of the page with your picture and information, never felt the need for any type of air freshner products, open the door to the balcony or the window(if they open) and let in the fresh sea air

NEVER...NEVER...go anywhere on foreign soil without your passport!!! If you are stopped by the police or need to give proof of ID, almost all countries will not accept anything but your passport. Without your passport with you, you are considered no more than an illegal alien...subject to possible jail and deportation. Even the local US consulate will not help you without proof of citizenship!!

Excuse me, but that is not possible, or at least wasn't until recent cruises. We frequently have been forced to relenquish our passports (Canadians and other 'foreigners') to the ship's authority. Supposedly dependent on the ports visited. Americans loved to tell us this was for our own security "you wouldn't want to lose something as important as a passport!" But apparently Americans could be trusted with theirs. I always thought this was downright illegal as it says right on the passport not to let it out of your possession. I don't know if this is still being done or not. Most ports ie. Caribbean or Mexico, I will use only a photocopy of passport. Perhaps when I visit Turkey, Asia etc. I will take the original. I think it is more secure in the safe than in a beach bag!

Those "mini" rolls of toliet paper are a must - especially in the Caribbean and Mexico
for shore excursions - have you ever seen some of these "rest rooms" ??- I was in Grand Cayman once and the toliet was just placed on the floor - no
hole below for the waste to go into!! Gross to say the least.

I have always packed the mini toilet paper rolls for my shore bag since the restrooms in Mexico and Europe either do not have it, or it is handed to you by the square. However, I think, next cruise I will just use one of the ziplock bags I always pack and fill it with my good TP from home or just use some from the ship. One less thing to buy.

I carry hand sanitizer spray and wet wipes as well as a small purse pack of paper toilet seat covers.

Lysol and Febreze now make a purse size spray that is easy to carry and I keep one in my purse at all times. Comes in handy in any bathroom and I loan it and recommend it to the young mothers using the diaper changing stations.

I have even thrown in a few hotel size soaps for port. Use them once and discard in restroom, or place in ziplock bag in port bag.

I don't take a travel alarm, I use my cell phone alarm clock and a wake up call from room service when they bring the coffee I order the night before.

The over the door shoe bag is nice and does not take up much space, but it does keep bathroom items organized.

I am afraid of bungy cords for the doors, so I pack a 1" by 12" round dowel. This fits perfectly in the door between the hinges to hold it open.

I do pack my own detergent in premeasured bags or small bottles, since I am allergic to TIDE and sometimes that is all the ship's laundry has to offer. I can stop this now though, since I am platinum and can send out my laundry free. I tag it "NO TIDE DETERGENT."

Highlighters and post it notes are great for the capers and notes.

All cruise docs, insurance, excursions, passports, etc. go into a see through plastic document holder and into my carryon shoulder bag, along with my camera, meds, makeup and a light sweater.

We carried a small insulated lunch bag with zip lock bags to Europe. Some ports just are too intensive to eat in port, so we just order a room service sandwich, put it in a ziploc bag and a piece of fruit from the breakfast buffet and have a quick little lunch on the run. Our cabin had a fridge, so we put a bottle of water and the sandwich in overnight to chill.

I found a small (12x16") bag with handle that folds up to a 4" square and put it in my tote bag for souvenirs. I also pack a couple of rain ponchos for port days. If we are beach bound, I bring my own, inexpensive, towels and don't worry about losing the Carnival towel or carrying around the weight of a wet Carnival towel.

I take a small power bar to recharge camera, phones and laptop (when I take mine), plug in hair dryers and curling irons as well.

Thanks for the great list...
You know at first I was thinking WOW that's alot of things... but now that you mention it, there are a few things I may need, since this is our first 7 day cruise.... (only 2nd cruise alltogether).
for example... a collapsable laundry basket might be a good idea since we are not taking alot of clothes and we intend to do laundry and who knows how far we will have to carry our laundry...
Already have my quarters and dollar bills...
something to hang our swimsuits with is a great idea, we didn't really find the time to actually get in on our 4 day cruise... but this time for sure.

After talking to my sister-in-law, back from a recent cruise where she lost her (prescription) sunglasses, and another time lost her actual glasses, I'm adding a "sport strap" for my sunglasses to my list!

Very Good Idea about the strap !! adding to my list - my DH lost his
perscription glasses in Acapulco bay years ago (our Honeymoon) when
a large wave knocked him over. Thank goodness for the perscription
sunglasses !!

I think the other poster meant to say "fanny pack". It's a zippered pouch/
small purse one wears around their waist - has an adjustable waist strap - and
some people tend to turn it around and carry it at their back (just above
their rear ends) - thus the name "fanny pack". HTH.

Thank you for the list. Some of the stuff I thought of and some of it I did not. Great idea about the toliet tissue. I live in a rural area and have hosted atv scavenger hunts. Some of the prizes where the travel size toliet tissue. I found this in the hunting section of local wal-mart. The men loved this and some even had there spouse's go buy more. Other great things mentioned. I will definitly make a copy of my passport page and keep with me at all times. Thanks for going to the trouble of making this list. Especially for first time cruisers like me.
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Thanks for the detailed list. We're going on our first cruise and have been trying to put together a list of items. I didn't think about clothes pins, but that's a great idea, and take up very little space.

One thing I plan to do is take my older, 2nd pair of prescription glasses instead of my new ones. The prescription is relatively the same and I'll be sure to buy a sport strap so I don't lose them. At least I'll have another pair at home in case they do somehow get lost.

I take my old glasses and my current ones. Not a lot of difference and since I am blind as a bat without them, worth taking an extra.
Marty....who needs an emoticon with glasses....oh wait, this one is close

Excuse me, but that is not possible, or at least wasn't until recent cruises. We frequently have been forced to relenquish our passports (Canadians and other 'foreigners') to the ship's authority. Supposedly dependent on the ports visited. Americans loved to tell us this was for our own security "you wouldn't want to lose something as important as a passport!" But apparently Americans could be trusted with theirs. I always thought this was downright illegal as it says right on the passport not to let it out of your possession. I don't know if this is still being done or not. Most ports ie. Caribbean or Mexico, I will use only a photocopy of passport. Perhaps when I visit Turkey, Asia etc. I will take the original. I think it is more secure in the safe than in a beach bag!

There's actually a very good reason why cruise lines sometimes collect passports. When the ship arrives in a port of call, the laws of many countries require the immigration officials to inspect, and sometimes stamp, the passports of all onboard. The procedure of collecting all passengers' passports allows the ship's staff to present your passport to immigration officials for you, sparing you the need to appear in person at "oh-dark-thirty" when the immigration officials come aboard.

Alas, that process does not work when ships arrive in our ports here in the United States because our laws require our immigration officials to match each passenger's passport with his or her face....

The best way to get over an irrational fear is by confronting it....so, buy a fanny pack!
Seriously, even though they are out of style, I still use one in ports. Like an extra set of pockets. Great for things like extra camera battery, some cash, kleenex. I mainly use a very light nylon backpack for most stuff, but hate having to dig through it for something small.
Marty

The best way to get over an irrational fear is by confronting it....so, buy a fanny pack!
Seriously, even though they are out of style, I still use one in ports. Like an extra set of pockets. Great for things like extra camera battery, some cash, kleenex. I mainly use a very light nylon backpack for most stuff, but hate having to dig through it for something small.
Marty

use a purse! fanny packs..eek
just kidding

its your preference im def not poking fun i am just teasiung
they just arent for me